This invention relates to a mechanism for opening and closing a shower curtain without exerting direct manual force on the curtain material.
Conventional shower curtains are often formed of flexible plastic material that is subject to tearing or breaking. The curtain is usually suspended from an overhead horizontal rod by means of a series of suspension rings spaced along the upper edge of the curtain. Each suspension ring extends over the rod and downwardly through an opening in the curtain. After a period of time the curtain is apt to tear away from one or more of the suspension rings, due to repeated manual pulling actions on the curtain material that occur when the curtain is being opened or closed.
I am proposing a mechanism that can be added to a conventional shower curtain assembly to permit the curtain to be opened and closed without direct manual grabbing of the curtain material; I believe this will tend to preserve (lengthen) the curtain life.
My opening-closing mechanism includes a flexible pull cord having horizontal cord sections running along the upper edge of the shower curtain below the curtain rod. A pulley-type guide structure is located near each end of the curtain rod for redirecting the pull cord; the cord includes vertical cord sections extending downwardly from on of the guide structures for manual actuation of the cord, i.e. movement of the horizontal cord sections to draw the curtain to the closed or open position.
The mechanism is designed to utilize most of the existing components in pre-existing shower rod assemblies, i.e. the curtain rod, the shower curtain, and the suspension rings. My mechanism is in the nature of an add-on attachment, rather than a complete shower curtain redesign. The mechanism can be used with conventional shower curtain assemblies with substantially no modification of such assemblies.